Silver eLearning Award for RYA’s PPR course

At an awards ceremony that took place at the London Marriott, Grosvenor Square last night, 8th November, the RYA’s Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR) course picked up an Silver eLearning Award in the category ‘Best use of e-learning to ensure compliance with external regulations or internal policies’.

Organised by eLearning Age, these highly prestigious awards are judged in partnership with the eLearning Network and boast some of the most experienced practitioners in the industry.

The RYA course was chosen for the award for its creative and flexible approach to providing real-life scenarios to help learners understand their responsibilities in the commercial maritime environment.

On winning the award, Craig Burton, RYA Chief Instructor, Sail Cruising, who attended the ceremony commented: 'We’re really proud of this achievement and to have won silver in an area of learning that is so new to the RYA is a great honour. Winning this award is a tribute to the great team of eLearning and industry experts involved in creating this course.'

The PPR course was launched in April this year, in conjunction with eLearning developer Mind Click, to educate professional skippers on their responsibilities and duty of care in the commercial maritime world and is a compulsory part of gaining or renewing a commercial endorsement to an RYA Certificate of Competence.

'Bringing a new requirement into an existing, well-established system can be contentious, but we have been delighted with the response we have received to the course from the 2,500 students who have taken it so far. Of those students, who are a mix of experienced professionals and newcomers to the industry, the overwhelming feedback is that they have benefitted from taking the course.

'Indeed over 90% of those who have left feedback after their course say they are now better informed about the rules and regulations with which they must comply', explained RYA Training Manager and Chief Examiner Richard Falk.